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HOME VIDEO AND PAY PER VIEW SMASH HIT CREATOR BACKYARD WRESTLING INC TEAMS UP WITH EIDOS INTERACTIVE TO CREATE BACKYARD WRESTLING VIDEO GAMES
The multi-million unit-selling phenomenon
comes to PlayStation®2
computer entertainment system and Microsoft’s Xbox
in this outrageous, fully-immersive wrestling action-sports hybrid
San Francisco, CA (February 13, 2003) – Eidos Interactive (NASDAQ: EIDSY), one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, today announced that Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home video game is currently in development for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system & the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home is based on the best-selling, Backyard Wrestling video series that has become a worldwide phenomenon. The video series has sold millions of copies of VHS tapes and DVDs in addition to wildly successful pay per view events. Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home promises to appeal to the hardcore wrestling gaming market as well as emerging casual gamer market places.
“Eidos is excited to bring the bigger-than-life action of Backyard Wrestling to video game consoles,” says Rob Dyer, President, Eidos Interactive. “The company firmly believes that the video series’ outrageous, reality-based hardcore action translates perfectly into the video game arena.”
Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home places gamers in the role of an up-and-coming backyard wrestler. Each player’s success is based on his ability to use and abuse the environment as well as his opponent. With each win, wrestlers move one step closer to the ultimate goal, being crowned "The King of Hardcore.”
“Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This At Home will redefine the wrestling game genre for next generation consoles,” Says Kevin Gill, Senior Product Manager. “Breaking free of the restrictive ring and non-immersive environments that have traditionally been offered in the genre, Backyard Wrestling will be the most outrageous and over-the-top extreme wrestling and action game available on the market today.”
Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home will offer an extensive list of features taking gamers beyond traditional restrictions of the wrestling genre. Objective-based gameplay will allow for unique level progression and access to unlockable tasks, characters, and bonus video materials. Gamers will find the Backyard Wrestling world fully interactive and wonderfully destructible, allowing them to re-arrange more than just their opponent's face. The game includes multi-faceted and multi-tiered environments will give players the opportunity to truly use their surroundings. For example, gamers will be able to hurl themselves off ladders, rooftops and cars in order to maximize pain on the opponent. The innovative damage model system will allow the characters to show progressive damage inflicted to their bodies depending on what type of hits they've been exposed to.
In addition to the innovative single player experience, Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try This At Home features a hardcore two-player mode where players will match not only brawn, but brains as well. Gamers must also utilize the environments to ultimately place their opponent in a world of pain.
“The team is focused on taking the content and action of the Backyard Wrestling series above and beyond the norm of a typical wrestling game,” says Allen Fernandez, Project Director of Paradox development. “By implementing technology that allows for the gamers to fully explore a utilize the environment as well as a ground-breaking damage system we feel we are able to offer the gamer an unprecedented wrestling experience.
The video game series is in development by Paradox, creators of the X-Men fighting games and Thrill Kill, a fighting game hailed as the most violent game that never made it to store shelves. The first games are scheduled for release in Summer 2003. For more information on the game and Backyard Wrestling franchise, please visit www.bywgame.com
About Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive is one of the world’s leading publishers and developers of entertainment software. Eidos develops and publishes a diverse mix of titles for the PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo GameCube™ and Xbox™ from Microsoft. For more information on Eidos and its products visit http://www.eidos.com
Backyard Wrestling Background Information
Co-founded by Houston Curtis and Rick Mahr and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Backyard Wrestling, Inc. (BYW) is a cutting-edge entertainment company that is principally engaged in the development, production and marketing of its critically-acclaimed best-selling “Best of Backyard Wrestling” video series, which has quickly become one of the greatest independent/specialty video sales sensations of all time. For more information, please visit http://www.backyardwrestling.com
Paradox Background Information
Founded in 1994, and headquartered in Moorpark, California, Paradox Development has shaken the foundations of the games industry since its inception. Paradox Development is currently comprised of over 60 employees, experienced in the development of next-generation interactive entertainment for personal computers and advanced gaming systems such as the PlayStation®2computer entertainment system, Nintendo GameCube™ and Xbox®
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*"The Best Of Backyard Wrestling," "Backyard Wrestling," and "BYW" are trademarks of Backyard Wrestling, Inc.
**"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
****Xbox and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This At Home (PS2)
Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This At Home (XB)

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